I. Field
The present disclosure is generally related to a sequential circuit element including a singled clocked transistor.
II. Description of Related Art
Advances in technology have resulted in smaller and more powerful personal computing devices. For example, there currently exist a variety of portable personal computing devices, including wireless computing devices, such as portable wireless telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and paging devices that are small, lightweight, and easily carried by users. More specifically, portable wireless telephones, such as cellular telephones and IP telephones, can communicate voice and data packets over wireless networks. Further, many such wireless telephones include other types of devices that are incorporated therein. For example, a wireless telephone can also include a digital still camera, a digital video camera, a digital recorder, and an audio file player. Also, such wireless telephones can process executable instructions, including software applications, such as a web browser application, that can be used to access the Internet. As such, these wireless telephones can include significant computing capabilities.
Generally, digital integrated circuits used for portable personal computing devices, such as wireless telephone devices, utilize clock signals for data processing. Dissipation of a clock signal from a clock source as it propagates through an integrated circuit can account for a large portion of the overall dynamic power consumption of the integrated circuit. In circuits that include sequential elements, such as flip-flop circuits and latch circuits, the clock power consumed by the sequential element may be determined, in part, by the capacitance of the transistors that switch when the clock switches. These clocked devices may be directly connected to the primary clock input. Alternatively, these clocked devices may use internal clocks derived from the primary clock input to control transistor operation an timing.
In general, switching transistors associated with the sequential circuit element results in power dissipation through the charging and discharging of transistor capacitances as well as wire capacitances associated with the wiring interconnects. Hence, there is a need for improved sequential circuit element devices and methods of reducing power consumption.